Nostalgia
by GreenEmeraldGirlxoxo
Summary: On Haitus! /"You two remind me an awful lot of a pair of mages I knew back when I created Fairy Tail," Mavis says, smiling again. "Yeah, who were they?" "Well, one of them was my beloved daughter." "Eh!"/ NaLu
1. Chapter 1

**Pairings: Natsu x Lucy, OC x OC and others **

**Timeline: In between Seven Year Arc and Grand Magic Games. Sort of AUish as Mavis never had a daughter (revealed anyways) nor did lots of the content in this story happen. **

**Warnings: Cursing and violence **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

**Author's Note: Hello, welcome. As for this story, Mavis having a daughter is a twist I made up completely, obviously. But, other questions will be explained later, like why Mavis looks twelve and has a daughter lol. Enjoy.**

**xXxX**

The guild was literally bursting with excitement. First Master Mavis was granting them her presence, and they couldn't be more elated.

Lucy adjusted the vase of daisies, thumbing the soft petals. She allowed her mind to wander, thinking about just when Mavis would arrive. She had a feeling it would be soon, not that it truly mattered, as she'd find out when the guild bombarded Mavis at her entrance.

"You've been fixing that vase for an awfully long time, is something on your mind?" Mirajane asks, sliding up the length of the bar. She stopped Lucy's fiddling hands, eyeing her seriously.

Lucy shook her head furiously, "No, nothing at all. I'm just curious about Mavis."

Mirajane nods, letting go of the Celestial Spirit Mages hands, "As are we. I want to know most about her decision to turn our magic into the sphere that protected us. Was there another reason? Besides that we're Fairy Tail mages?"

Laughing, Lucy grins, "I have to agree."

"Damn you Gray!" A screech, coming from the enraged fire dragon slayer echoed throughout the guild hall, as he smashed through a table, barely missing Gray. Gray launched a full throttle attack of ice shards, destroying tables, and nearly taking out half of the guild members.

"I wonder what happened this time…" Lucy questions, to no one in particular, and watches the fight with mild interest. Wouldn't it just be choice if Mavis were to walk in now?

Speak of the devil. The doors to the guild opened, and Mavis, a tiny woman entered, only to be hit with a large ball of ice. Her being an apparition meant that it just flew through her, but the look on her face meant she was there for business.

"Excuse me…" A growing tick on Mavis's head was not a good sign. Lucy stood, panicked, wanting to immediately diffuse the situation.

"Stop it!" Lucy stepped into the middle of the fight, holding out her hands. Gray's eyes widened, a fraction too late, as his ice hit Lucy, throwing her at Natsu. Natsu caught her, glaring at Gray.

"You almost killed Lucy you idiot!" Natsu yelled, cradling Lucy against his chest absently. Bridal style in Natsu's arms was making her uncomfortable, and making her blush.

"I didn't mean it!" Gray protested, the ice in the room melting.

Mavis flounced up, frowning, "What's happening here?"

Lucy struggled out of Natsu's arms, still blushing, "They were fighting over, what exactly?" She looked to them for an explanation. Natsu scratched his head sheepishly.

"Gray said I weaker than him." The same old argument. Figures.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Mavis giggled, smiling. "The guild is exactly like I wanted it to be. Full of life." So she wasn't mad after all.

"First Master," Makarov greeted, "I hope my brats were welcoming."

"They were lovely. I like what you've done with this place Third Master." Mavis settles herself down onto a table top. She crosses her ankles and her smile grows.

There was minimal seating now, as tables and chairs had been demolished in the two rivals wake. Gray leaned against the wall; Lucy took up a seat at the table with Mavis which Natsu ended up sitting next to her. Makarov jumped into a chair and the rest of the guild walked nearer, finding a spot to be seated.

After introductions were done, Mavis turned her sparkling green eyes onto the group of mages.

"I suppose you have a lot of questions to ask me?" She waits for nods of confirmation. "Ask away."

"Just out of curiosity, was there another reason to saving us on Tenrou island, besides us being in your guild?" Mirajane asked, tilting her head.

Mavis laughed, "You're sense of friendship and love for you nakama encouraged my decision, but ultimately, it was because you all were in my guild and I couldn't let you all die."

"How old are you?" Natsu blurts, earning a smack from Lucy.

"That's a secret." Mavis winks. "When I died, I took on the form from my youth. I aged and died like everyone else. This form just fits my personality much better."

Lucy has to laugh at that, and then she sobers. "Did you have a family?"

Mavis's expression darkened for a moment. "Yes." She stares at Lucy and Natsu for a long time.

"W—what?" Lucy says, uncomfortable. Mavis's eyes were searching, searching for something in Lucy's large brown eyes. She wanted something, as if to know a secret Lucy held. However, just before Mavis 'uncovered' said secret, she turned her reflective gaze onto Natsu.

"How old are you?" Mavis addresses the question to Lucy. Fairy Tail mages alike held their breaths, intrigued by this interaction.

"Seventeen…" Lucy answers, almost hesitant.

"About that age…" Mavis mutters, her expression gloomy.

Makarov raised his eyebrows, "First Master? Are you… remembering something?"

Mavis dips her head, "Yes, and I believe I understand now."

"Huh?" Natsu and Lucy's expressions were mirrors of each other, both entirely confused by everything Mavis was saying.

Mavis's eyes twinkled again. "You two remind me an awful lot of a pair of mages I knew back when I created Fairy Tail," Mavis says, smiling again.

"Yeah, who were they?" Natsu challenges, which elicits a pinch from Lucy. He just smacks her hand away.

"Well, one of them was my beloved daughter." The jaws of every single mage in the guild dropped.

"Eh?!" Natsu and Lucy exclaimed loudly, eyes widening as they awkwardly made eye contact.

Mavis giggled again, her heart constricting from the memory. "Isn't this fun?"

_xXxX_

_Many years ago…_

_ The girl blinked, her doe jade green eyes widening. She entered the guild doors, and was met with a sight to behold. A man, or boy, she couldn't decide, stood in the center of her friends, a dark smile on his face, speaking to Rina. His hair was black, spiked, and made him look dangerous. _

_ Who was he? She'd never seen him before. Her bag dropped when he glanced up, meeting her imploring gaze. His own gaze was so sharp and intense, her breath was sucked away. And his _eyes_. They held two different colours, two very contradictive colours. One was a glittering black, like obsidian, while the other was a smoky grey, so light it was almost white. _

_ Guild Master Mavis appeared next to her, having flown down from the second floor. _

_ "Who is that?" She asks, not taking her eyes of the now decided boy, although he'd already turned back to Rina. _

_ "He's our newest member. I'm not really sure about him. Be careful around him," Mavis warns, half-heartedly, already knowing the girl could take care of herself. _

_ She shakes her head, "No, what's his name." _

_ Mavis laughs, "His name is Zen. Make him feel welcome, Kaida."_

_ "I will, mother." _

**It's a little short, hopefully the chapters will get longer in the future. I hope you liked it. More will be revealed in the future. Like their magic. Favourite, follow, review and I can't wait to see you again! Ciao.**

**~Emerald~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Pairings: Natsu x Lucy, OC x OC and others **

**Timeline: In between Seven Year Arc and Grand Magic Games. Sort of AUish as Mavis never had a daughter (revealed anyways) nor did lots of the content in this story happen. **

**Warnings: Cursing and violence **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail **

**Author's Note: I received a great question, asking if Lucy and Mavis were related. All will be revealed sooner or later, m'kay? I'm getting damn good at updating lol.**

**xXxX**

"Mavis, what you're saying is, _we're really old_?!" Natsu yells, horrified by the revelation. Lucy sighs, smacking herself in the face. Natsu was really clueless. Happy crawled out from some unknown location and perched on Natsu's shoulder, a curious expression on his face.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asks, "I mean did you really know people like us." She was paper white, not really comprehending what exactly Mavis was telling her.

"Not exactly," Mavis says. "You have like souls." Mavis pats Lucy's hands sympathetically and Lucy's face slowly returned back to normal, but another shock would pale her again right away.

Lucy tilted her head, bemused by what she said, as the words finally hit her. Like souls? What could that mean?

"Argh! I don't understand!" Natsu groans, slamming his face against the table top. Lucy laughed a little. Happy indigently hopped onto the table, crossing his legs.

"Give me some time to explain." Mavis's eye brows knit together in thought. Lucy exchanged timid glances with her fellow guild mates. How she wished Erza was here to help make some sense of the situation. However, she, along with Juvia and Wendy would be gone for at least another day or so before she could help. Gray watched wearily, unsure of what to make of the whole situation, ultimately deciding to just stay quiet.

"First Master, if I may be so bold, I have a memory lacrima for you, to further explain." Makarov supplied, offering up a small blue orb. "We can attach it to movie lacrima so we can view." Leave it to Makarov to come up with an idea for everyone to see Natsu and Lucy's supposed past lives as if it were some hard hitting film.

Mavis nodded, "That's a fantastic idea, Third Master!" She turned back to Natsu and Lucy. "Now, I believe I know how to explain."

The two waited, and Lucy nervously licked her lips.

"As I said, you two share 'like souls' with my daughter and her companion. Which means that if I'm correct, you two are their reincarnations. Lucy, I believe you possess the soul of my daughter, Kaida, and you Natsu, Zen's soul." Mavis pauses, trying to allow everyone to absorb the information. "Both of them were as spirited as you, however, Zen was darker and more mature than Natsu." Mavis's face was the picture of longing as she lost herself in her memories while continuing to speak.

Gray chuckled, and Natsu sent him a pointed glare. "Likewise, Kaida was tougher and extremely powerful." Lucy looked as if she were just hit in the face. She was offended, quite a lot actually, that Mavis would insinuate she was weak. Sure, sometimes she had her moments of cowardice but she would never abandon her friends.

Mavis noticed, and her expression went into shock, "No! I'm sorry! I did not mean it that way! You're both wonderful people, but different. I didn't intend to harm your feelings, either of you."

"No, it's fine. Continue," Lucy says stiffly, crossing her arms. She took a deep breath and had to remember this was Mavis's daughter, obviously she would set her highly above the rest.

"As these are your differences, you're both a like too. From what I've seen, Natsu is like Zen in which both are angered easily, hard headed and stubborn. Lucy and Kaida are both kind, ambitious young women and extremely clever. It's a miracle how similar you four are. It's also a miracle how your souls have found each other again."

Lucy frowns, just a tad, "I don't understand, what do you mean found again?"

Mavis smiles mournfully, "I think it's better if you just watch." Mavis takes the memory lacrima and closes her eyes in concentration; the movie lacrima whirred to life. Images sped past, and they were unable to focus on any one picture.

Finally it settled, and they were presented with their first image of Kaida. She was a beautiful young girl, about fifteen, with eyes resembling a great deal like Mavis's. Her hair was shorter, about waist length, and silver, with this odd cobalt blue thread woven through, framing her slim face.

"She's so pretty…" Lucy whispered, a little in awe. Despite the different eye colour, the longer Lucy looked, the more self-aware she was of herself in Kaida's eyes.

"That she was," Mavis agreed. "And this, is Zen." Presented next was the face of Natsu's previous incarnate. Dark, brooding, and dangerous, with those strange mismatched eyes.

Natsu gaped, "He looks like a bastard." Gray burst out laughing at that, and the rest of the guild groaned in equal amounts of annoyance at the dragon slayers ridiculous statement.

Lucy shot him a questioning glance. "What is wrong with you?" She shook her head mentally, _he does realize that was him in a past life, right?_

"Nothing, what's wrong with you?" Natsu fires back.

"Children!" Makarov intervenes. "Shut up." It hushes, as they—the mages—listen to Makarov.

"What was their relationship?" Lisanna asks, piping up from her position next to Mirajane. Lucy peeked at her, _was she jealous_? Lisanna was rigid, a fierce glare on her face. If Mavis, or anyone else saw it, they didn't show it.

"You'll see," Mavis responds. "Now, witness their meeting."

_xXxX_

_ "Excuse me, can I borrow Rina?" Kaida steps into the circle of girls, glaring at Zen. He blankly returns her hateful look, and shrugs._

_ "I could care less." He turns, striding off with his hands deep in his pockets._

_ Rina fans her face, "Oh Lord, he is so good looking." Kaida rolls her eyes, jingling the bag of jewels she held. _

_ "Yes, Mr. Deep Dark and Brooding is oh so interesting. Now, let me tell you what happened on my mission." _

_ "But Kaida, Zen is so gorgeous! He's so much more handsome than most in this guild." Obviously, Kaida wasn't getting through to this girl. _

_ Mavis shook her head, observing what was happening. _

_ Later, while Kaida explored the second floor, prowling for a good mission, stumbled across Zen._

_ He sat cross legged in the middle of the floor, with his eyes closed. _

_ Kaida nudged him with her black boot, "What the hell are you doing?" _

_ "Meditating," Zen responds, without opening his eyes. _

_ "In the middle of the god damned hall way?" Zen merely grunts, humming now._

_ "The fuck is wrong with you?" Kaida snaps, kicking him harder._

_ Zen peels his eyes open, "You've got quite a sharp mouth on you, little girl." He stands, dusting off his black coat. _

_ She holds her nose up defiantly, "I am _not _a little girl." _

_ "You could be. You look like you're twelve." Zen snorts, eyeing her short body and minimal curves._

_ Kaida sputters, "Excuse me? I'm fifteen!" _

_ "Big deal. You look about as harmless as a twelve year old then," Zen says, bored. The small girl in front of him has barely spiked his interest, let alone his time._

_ Kaida steps back, glowering menacingly, "You don't know who I am." _

_ "So?" Zen goes to move around her. He freezes, feeling an immense magical aura from her. She chuckles, shooting him a venomous look. _

_ "I'm Kaida Vermilion, and I'm a god slayer," She snarls, and this elicits a grin from Zen. Kaida feels a momentary lapse in her anger, his grin really actually very nice. Until he smirked._

_ "Zen and you don't even want to know what I can do." He walks off. _

_ This provokes Kaida, and she sneers, "Fuck you!"_

_xXxX_

The memory cut off there, and there was an overwhelming amount of shock in the guild.

"That was me?! I thought you said she was nice!" Lucy exclaims, disturbed. She couldn't believe the foul mouthed, angry girl on the lacrima was _her. _Although, what bothered her most is that Kaida sounded eerily like her, as if the voice carried over the generations.

"She was a god slayer?" Natsu demands, "What was I? Why didn't I say? Argh!" Lucy punches him; her face the epitome of _shut the fuck up._ But of course, Natsu barely felt her punch and continued to give Mavis puppy dog eyes in the hopes she would answer his question.

Mavis raises her hand, silencing the protesting two. "As I said before, both of them are different then you in some extremes more than most. Kaida was just as violent as Natsu here, but she could relax at times and be like how you are Lucy. However, she had an extreme amount of power since a young age. She possessed not only god slayer magic, but another which even she wasn't aware of." Mavis turned to Natsu. "As for Zen, his magic was multiple times the amount of dangerous Kaida's was. It was destructive. It nearly destroyed the guild."

Lucy blinked, stunned. It was a lot to take in, considering it's been hours since Mavis's arrival. First, she was Mavis's daughter's reincarnation, and secondly, she had some important relationship with Natsu in the past. Lucy squeezed the blue fabric of her skirt, swallowing hard.

Wait a second… "Mavis, if these are your memories, how come we're viewing it mostly from Kaida's point of view?"

Mavis dropped her gaze, "Because when Kaida died, she gave me her memories." Oh. That was huge. Lucy didn't know it was possible for a being to give another their memories. She gave Natsu a sidelong stare; he'd sure been quiet for a long time.

Makarov couldn't speak, and many of their nakama were shell-shocked as well.

"So what _was_ Zen's power?" Natsu asked again, looking about as fazed of if the whole ordeal like it was something he'd already known the entire time.

Mavis glowered at the floor, "Zen was too dangerous, even for himself." That's all she would say, Lucy knew it. She touched Natsu's arm, telling him to stop with her eyes, this time meaning it without the harsh undertones. At the mercy of her tender expression, Natsu was forced to cease speaking about what Zen's powers were.

"How did you feel about Zen?" Lisanna asks, again speaking up from her spot. Her overly jealous attitude was gone, but replaced with her prying determination.

"I resent him with every fibre in my being," Mavis announces, bluntly. Lucy gapes, along with Natsu, as the bomb was dropped. Mavis _hated _Zen. And she wasn't about to share why, just yet anyways.

Makarov, trying to diffuse the tension, suggested, "Perhaps we call it a night. Continue tomorrow. I'm sure Mavis is exhausted and this is a lot to take in." The guild members nodded in agreement.

Mavis gently runs her fingers over the lacrima, as if lost in a fond memory. As she relived some magnificent moment, the lacrima kept the image of Kaida was a squishy baby. The tiny babe had a grin on her face, the ever present blue hair evident from the wrapped blanket.

Lucy carefully peels Mavis's hands away from the lacrima, and places it next to her. "You should rest."

When Mavis finally looks up, Lucy feels her throat constrict. Mavis just appeared so unhappy. Sad. Very sad. The unshed tears in her eyes shone. Drip, drip, drip. Crystalline tears plummeted down , hitting the table top.

Without words to express to her, Lucy just hugged her, desperately wishing it were enough to wipe away her sadness.

"First Master…" Makarov patted her knee, "Come on, and let's get some sake in you." Mavis untangles herself from Lucy's comforting hold and goes with Makarov. Sobbing.

"I can't help but feel this is all my fault," Lucy whispers, tucking her knees against her chest and folding her arms over top.

Natsu places his hand on her shoulder, "It's not your fault Luce." Mages alike took the hint and scattered, leaving the two alone. Excluding Happy, who sat there, his gaze lowered.

Lucy takes his hand, taking solace in the simple gesture, receiving warmth from his large hand. His palm almost equalled to the size of Lucy's entire hand.

"You have small hands." He squeezed her hand tighter.

"Natsu…?" Lucy mummers after some silence, after some time of Natsu running his thumb over her knuckles. For a dense moron, he sure knew how to comfort someone. But at one look at his face, she knew he was just off in his own world, somewhere he could think by himself.

"Hm?" He was still off, trying to remember something that wasn't there.

"Can you take me home?" Lucy implores, tugging on his scarf to draw his attention. She didn't want him to be like this, serious and dark. She wanted him back to her Natsu, happy-go-lucky and spirited. She knew her nakama were watching them interact with a keen attentiveness, but this was more important. She had to cheer him up. Lucy didn't want him to dwell on this new found knowledge if it meant he wasn't going to be himself.

Natsu turns to her, "Okay." He gets to his feet, lifting Lucy up as well, not letting go of her hand, keeping them clasped. Lucy scooped Happy up with her free arm, the blue cat having been oddly mute for a long time.

**xXxX**

Back at Lucy's apartment, she forced Natsu to sit at her table. "I'm just going to take a shower." Natsu shrugs, loosing himself again in his thoughts. Happy raided her underwear drawer, and put a pair of panties on his head, a sad attempt to entertain Natsu.

Lucy forced herself to go through the motions of showering. Strip off your clothes, Lucy. Turn on the shower faucet Lucy. Get into the shower Lucy.

She was confused. This whole past life thing was too much to handle. Look what it did to Natsu, he's locked up in his thoughts, trying to understand it himself. Lucy was anxious to figure out just what exactly happened in the past to make Mavis so sad. What really happened? There were so many things Mavis wasn't telling them, so many things that would make understanding easier.

Once the shower turned cold, Lucy pulled herself from under the shower head, wrapping the white towel around her body. Mostly now, all she wanted was some self-satisfaction that her past life had some meaning, other than making Mavis blue.

She changed into her pyjama's she kept in her bathroom in case of a Natsu invasion, a soft satin pink nightie and black lace panties. This whole day seemed to drain the energy from her. But that's okay; tomorrow's a new day, a new start to this whole fiasco.

When Lucy entered her bedroom, combing her shoulder length hair with her fingers, she saw Natsu passed out on her table, snoring. A soft smile crossed her lips. Her Natsu was back, innocent Natsu…

She carefully lifted him up, distributing his weight on her side, and brought him to her bed. If he was staying the night, she felt it was only right if they shared a bed. Somehow, Lucy was able to get them both under the covers and snuggled up closer to the dragon slayer.

Tomorrow, the story would grow; tomorrow the story would get more intense. But tonight, tonight she would just focus on _them_.

_xXxX_

_"I don't want to apologize to him," Kaida protested, crossing her arms defiantly. _

_ Mavis shakes her head, "It's not a matter of choice, Kaida. Whether you like Zen or not, it's up to you to keep the relationships healthy in this guild."_

_ Kaida doesn't move for a long time, and then she huffs angrily. "Fine," She jumps to her feet, adding, "but I'm not happy about it."_

_ "That's fine," Mavis agrees, as she watches Kaida stalk over to Zen with a small smirk on her face._

_ Kaida stopped in front of him, avoiding eye contact, "I'm sorry."_

_ "What was that? I couldn't hear you?" Zen taunts, inclining his head towards her as if to hear her better. _

_ Kaida clenched her fingers and spat, "I'm sorry."_

_ "What?"_

_ "Dammit! I said I was sorry!" She screeches, blushing and promptly covering her mouth from further outbursts. She didn't even draw the attention from her fellow wizards, thank lord._

_ "That's better," Zen says, nodding. He smirked, patting her hand._

_ Kaida slumped next to him, still red, "Don't patronize me."_

**They just keep getting longer and longer. Once again, totally avoided the subject of Mavis looking twelve with a kid. Sorry, but it'll come in soon. If you're wondering, Zen's age will be revealed in the future. Also their magic and other stuff too. How they're destructive is all a part of the mystery! Stay tuned. Ciao and thank you for reading!**

**~Emerald~**

**~Edit- As pointed out to me by Cat Goliath, I accidentally made Gray disappear, so my mistake. lol thank you for pointing that out, I have it all fixed now.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Pairings: **Natsu x Lucy, OC x OC and otherswhich will be revealed later

**Timeline: **In between Seven Year Arc and Grand Magic Games. Sort of AUish as Mavis never had a daughter (revealed anyways) nor did lots of the content in this story happen.

**Warnings: **Cursing and violence

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fairy Tail

**Author's Note: **So I've been asked, who is Zen's father? Once again, I won't tell you just yet, only time will tell. Also, I actually do know, so it's not like I'll be making it up on the spot. Lol anyway, enjoy! (it's Master Bob lol just kidding, just kidding! How would that even work?)

**xXxX**

When Lucy woke up, she was pleasantly reminded she was curled up in Natsu's arms. Her cheek that was flesh against his chest was warmer than the rest of her face. She gently removed herself from his hold, gazing down at him with a slightly confused expression.

Once again, thoughts of the previous day filled her head. So what now? How would this revelation affect her relationship with Natsu? Would things stay the same? Happy mumbled Charle's name in his sleep, turning over.

Lucy's attention was avidly on Natsu, his expression innocent and pure. The thoughtful one he wore the day before was gone. Lucy smiled affectionately. There was the Natsu she knew and lo—cared for.

She was blushing. "Natsu, wake up, we should go to the guild." _And get more information out of Mavis. _

"Stay in bed with me," Natsu groaned, still more than half asleep and wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist, burying his face into her lap. If Lucy wasn't red before, she definitely was now. "Mm, smells good." Lucy kneed him in the face, stumbling off the bed.

Landing on her back with an _oomph, _Natsu sat up, rubbing his nose.

"Ow, what the hell? Why does my nose hurt?" He glanced down at her and turned bright red.

Lucy had her arms outstretched against the ground, her knees up and spread. Natsu could see her panties, and most of her stomach.

"P—pervert!" She skittered backwards into the table.

"I—I didn't do anything!" He protested. He realized what happened and shot back, "You're the one who hit me in the face!"

"Your face was in my lap!" Lucy exclaimed, mortified. "Get out!"

Natsu held up his hands in defeat. Then he smirked. "It's not like I haven't had my face in worse positions." He didn't see it coming when Lucy hurled the table at him.

His eyes widened, and he lunged off the bed onto the floor. The table landed on top of Happy's tail, ultimately waking up the blue cat. He screamed, yanking his tail free, leaping off her bed and knocked over a vase.

Natsu slid across the floor, only stopping when his face pressed into something soft.

Lucy shrieked, shoving him away, protectively crossing her arms over her chest. This morning was already going from good to bad. It was already hectic, and who knew what to expect when one was at the guild.

"I'll just step into the bathroom," Natsu says sheepishly and quickly hurries into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him just as Happy slid in.

First his face was in her lap, second he saw her underwear and third he was in between her breasts. How much more awkward could it get?

She quickly got to her feet, not wanting to find out the answer to that question. Lucy changed into a pair of light blue short shorts with a frayed hem, a tight fitted sapphire blue hoodie and brown leather boots. She was just doing up her belt when Natsu walked in.

"Let's go now?" She tried and he shook his head. Lucy frowned.

"Breakfast first," Natsu tells her, serious.

"I don't have any food," Lucy responds, thinking they could just eat at the guild.

Natsu grins lopsidedly, "We're going to a restaurant." He saw her bemused expression and continued, "I have jewels, don't worry. I'll be a perfect gentlemen."

Lucy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Sure it was Natsu's grin and face, but his actions and words were so not him.

She reached up and touched his forehead, demanding, "Who are you and what have you done with Natsu Dragneel?"

Natsu rolls his eyes, taking her hand, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's go, I'm starving." Lucy giggled, and let him drag her from her apartment to the nearest food joint, Happy tagging along, perched on Natsu's shoulder.

**xXxX**

It wasn't until the day was nearing the afternoon did Natsu and Lucy finally show up to the guild. Typically, the ruckus was minimal, until Natsu showed.

Like usual, he got into his round of fist fights with Gray and got yelled at by the master. Lucy silently joined Levy at her table, wondering where Mavis was.

With the minutes ticking by agonizingly slow, Lucy excused herself from her conversation with Levy to go on a walk. Secretly, it was just her reason to go search for Mavis to get more information on Kaida.

Lucy examined every nook and cranny in the guild. She could not find Mavis no matter how hard she looked. Until it hit her Mavis would probably be outside. Obviously if she wasn't _inside, _Mavis would have to be outside.

"Mavis?" Lucy called, holding her hand above her brow line to block some of the rays of sunlight.

"Yeah?" Mavis flipped down from the roof, landing lightly in front of Lucy.

"I just wanted to ask you something stuff," she blurted. Mavis raised her eyebrow, but shrugged, sitting down on the bench.

"Sure, ask away Lucy." Mavis pats the bench next to her and Lucy sits down.

She fidgets with her shorts hem for a moment, "Why do you look like you're twelve?" Oh hell, that was so rude!

Mavis laughs, "I liked my appearance at twelve. I'm dead so I can make my ghost look like whatever I want. If you'd like, I can change into my 'adult' form."

Lucy nods and Mavis closes her eyes in concentration. In the moment between when Lucy blinked and opened her eyes, Mavis changed.

Her hair was still extremely long, but it was tied into a French braid. She was much taller, with a full bust, curvaceous figure. Her features were sharp, and her eyes were even more brilliant than before. Mavis was absolutely beautiful.

"How come you don't look like that in the memory lacrima?" Mavis laughs again.

"I was altering my appearance in the memory to keep from confusing the others." She shifts back to her usual form, smiling cheerfully.

Lucy stays silent for a long time, trying to phrase her sentence, "Why did you hate Zen?" Sure he was dark and creepy, but if he was Natsu, he _must _have some of Natsu's qualities.

Mavis frowns, "Well Lucy, it's complicated. He didn't do anything to me to provoke me to hate him."

Mavis sure was full of cryptic answers. That didn't answer anything Lucy wanted to know.

"Let me ask you something," Mavis says, twisting to face Lucy fully. "What is Natsu to you?" Lucy's face went redder than tomatoes.

"W—we're just friends!" Lucy exclaimed, stuttering a bit. Actually, now that Mavis mentioned it, Lucy wasn't really even sure herself. How _did _she feel about Natsu? Nah, he was just her really good friend.

Mavis's bright eyes turned mournful, "That's what Kaida told me." Lucy's eyes widened. What?

Mavis waved off her widened eyes, "I should get back inside, Makarov is probably looking for me." Mavis jumped off the bench. "Don't worry Lucy. Come inside soon and we'll watch some more memories!" She wandered back inside.

Lucy couldn't move. So Zen was _more _than a friend to Kaida? How much more? It didn't seem like those two even got along very well. Then again, things can change.

The Celestial Spirit mage groaned, collapsing onto the bench, laying her head on her crossed arms. She puffed out her cheeks, trying to decipher what Mavis told her. She felt pretty stupid for not being able to understand what Mavis said.

"Oi, what are you doing out here?" Natsu crouched in front of her, poking her cheek with his finger.

"Thinking," Lucy responds, staring at him with inquisitive eyes. He tilted his head, grinning crookedly.

"Come on, Mavis was preparing the lacrimas so we can see some more memories! Maybe we'll finally find out what Zen does." Natsu tugged on her hand.

Lucy smiled softly, squeezing his hand as he helped her up. "Natsu, Mavis told me something."

"Told you what?" Natsu leads Lucy towards the guild doors.

"It's nothing," Lucy says, deciding it would be best to tell him later. She didn't need him lost in his thoughts again; she needed him like he normally was, as selfish of her as that was.

Natsu shrugs, opening the door to the guild for her. Mavis gestured them over, a slightly guarded expression when she looked at Natsu, but none the less. The rest of the guild was scattered about, the only ones really paying attention to the lacrima were Happy, Gray, Makarov, Levy, Lisanna and Cana. Everyone else was either busy or didn't seem to care as much anymore.

Mavis traced her finger over the surface of the memory lacrima, smiling to no one in particular. A man with black hair appeared on the viewing lacrima, with bright blue eyes. He was really handsome, Lucy thought with a start. But who…?

"Who is that?" Lisanna voices Lucy's unspoken question. Lisanna's eyes, however, were trained on Lucy's still interconnected fingers with Natsu. Lucy flushed and returned her gaze to the lacrima, not removing her hand from his.

"Kaida's father," Mavis answers, the image of the handsome man disappearing. "He died a few months before Kaida was born, she never knew him." It seemed like Mavis's entire back story was filled with pain and suffering.

"How did he die?" Lisanna barrels on with her questioning, and the guild members paying attention all shot her a warning glare.

"I didn't find out for a long time, but he was murdered by someone I thought was my friend," Mavis said bitterly.

"So, um, when did Zen and Kaida start to get along?" Lucy asks, attempting to smooth over any hard feelings brewing over between the two mages. Lisanna pursed her lips and dropped her gaze.

Mavis tapped her chin in thought, "I believe it was when Kaida told Zen she could beat him in terms of magical strength." Natsu and Lucy exchanged surprised glances. This was completely opposite in terms of how Natsu and Lucy went about becoming friends.

"She lost right?" Natsu demands, and Lucy smacked him with her free hand. Mavis giggles, her eyes twinkling.

"Maybe you should just watch."

_**xXxX**_

_Kaida sat in the middle of the plains behind the guild, her legs crossed and eyes closed. She was focusing on her strengthen, summoning her magic around her. It was almost palpable, she could feel it, taste it. _

"_I know you're there," she says, peeling open her eye. Zen had himself settled up in the trees, his long legs stretched out in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. _

_Zen snorted, "You're very intuitive little girl." He slunk out of the tree, landing on his feet. _

"_And you're really slow for an old man," Kaida retorts, hoping to her feet. Zen simply snorts again, rolling his eyes. He was anything but old, only being twenty, but for a fifteen year old, that was a life time away. She dusted the grass off her shorts and shot him a smirk. "In fact, I bet I'm way stronger than you."_

"_Oh?" Zen arches his eyebrow. "I don't think you should make bets you can't win." _

_Kaida strolls up to him at a leisure pace, poking him with her finger. "I will win."_

_Zen grabbed her wrist, his long fingers curling around the slim bone. "Fight me then."_

_She stepped back, surprised by his touch and by his admission to the fight. She regains her smirk, "You're on." _

_Even at her words, she didn't feel any magic energy flare around him at all. She blew a gust of wind at him, and he ducked aside. Kaida frowned, wondering mentally which element she should invoke next to catch him off guard. _

_A sharp pain shot up Kaida's leg, and she stumbled, glancing at it, fearing an open wound or something. Nothing, it looked perfectly healthy. Zen materialized in front of her, grabbing her arm and flipping her over his shoulder. She landed on her back the wind knocked out of her._

"_Don't worry; I just messed up your tendons. It'll heal in a few hours. I think," Zen says lightly, and Kaida glares at him._

_Zen's expression began to change the longer he looked at Kaida. Being so young, Kaida didn't know how to describe his look. However, she was tapping into his emotions, and she was manipulating him to show her his true feelings for her. And his expression was anything but hatred._

_He snapped out of it when Kaida was on her feet and kicked him in the face. She put a little wind behind it and knocked him thirty feet back into the wall of the guild. _

_Kaida giggled giddily, jumping up and down despite the ache in her leg. "I won! I won!"_

_Zen sat up in the rubble and debris, shaking the dust from his hair. He had to grin at her. "You're a Spiritual God Slayer?" He took her hand when she offered it to him. _

"_Yup." She tilts her head. "I, however, have no idea what you do." She drops his hand once he's standing and laces her fingers behind her head._

"_Isn't it obvious?" At the shake of her head, he says, "It's a form of lost magic. I can do things internally to others. Like for example, screw up the tendons in your leg." _

_Kaida raised her eyebrows, "I've never heard of that type of magic before. Must be really lost."_

_Zen laughs, "Yeah well, your magic isn't too normal either."_

_**xXxX**_

Natsu stands up, ultimately letting go of Lucy's fingers, yelling, "Yes! _Finally _I know what he did! It's so cool too!"

"It's not very positive…" Gray rolled his eyes. "You're stupid to think it's cool, flame brain."

Natsu flipped him off, "But man, I can't believe I lost to a girl."

"I'm glad he lost," Mavis says, and everyone turns to look at her. "Matter of opinion." Lucy didn't believe that, but she wasn't about to argue.

"What is a Spirit God Slayer?" Lucy asks, yanking the end of Natsu's scarf to make him sit down. He choked and plopped down, rubbing his neck.

Mavis bit her lip, thinking of how to word it, "Well, basically, they can manipulate other's emotions and their souls. Secret techniques. However, they have basic control over the other elements and are trained to kill Spirit Gods."

The more Lucy thought about it, it did make sense. It was really ironic though, Lucy was a Celestial Spirit mage, yet her previous life was a Spirit God Slayer.

"So what was mine? I'm confused by his explanation," Natsu says.

"He was able to destroy a person from the inside out," Mavis retorts.

"That's scary," Lucy said. Natsu pats her arm, comfortingly.

Mavis sets down the memory lacrima, "Honestly, I don't know why."

"Um… what?" Lucy and Natsu exchange baffled stares.

Makarov clears his throat, "First Master, are you perhaps indulging in your own memories? Personal memories?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, sorry," Mavis replies distractedly.

"You sure did get around, Natsu," Cana teases, taking a swig from her sake bottle.

"Shut up!" Natsu snaps, turning a wee bit pink.

Lucy's laughing, entirely at Natsu's expense and Levy taps her friends shoulder. Lucy makes eye contact with the blue haired mage and nods.

"Are you wondering why the memories are so clipped?" Levy whispers into Lucy's ear.

Lucy eyes Mavis for a moment, "Mavis doesn't want to share everything. I think she's trying not to influence Natsu or my own decisions." Levy nods evenly.

"Do you like him?" Levy questions, eliciting a squeak from the blonde.

Natsu's ear twitched, his hyper senses picking up on the girls' conversation. Almost eagerly, he awaited Lucy's response.

"I don't know…" Lucy murmured. She risked a peek at the back of his head, "I don't know."

"Tell me if you figure it out, then."

Lucy's words are cut off by an extremely loud, "_Gray-samaaaaa_!" Which by this point, Juvia had launched herself at the ice mage. Gray was knocked off his seat, eyes wide with shock. Wendy giggles a bit herself.

"We're back, Master," Erza says cheerfully. She notices the lacrimas immediately. "What's going on?"

"You won't believe it, Erza!" Cana speaks, loudly.

"Oh? Do go on, I'm intrigued," Erza said.

Natsu's eyes widen, "No! Don't tell her!" Erza glares at Natsu murderously, and he shrinks back, fearful.

"Natsu and Lucy are the reincarnations of some mysterious man and Mavis's daughter," Cana explains. "Although their relationship is unknown at this point."

Erza's eye twitched, and without saying anything, punched Natsu in the face. "That is for denying me privilege of this knowledge." Lucy makes a noise which can only be described as 'eep'.

Erza grabs the blondes hands, "Congratulations!" For what?

"Um, right!" Lucy nods. Erza smiles, avidly telling the stellar spirit mage how much she's dying to know about her past life. Natsu's lying dead on the floor from the head wound he suffered from Erza.

"This guild sure is fun!" Mavis chirps.

_**xXxX**_

"_I cannot believe you kicked Zen in the face!" Rina cries, disgusted. "He's so beautiful, how could you?" _

"_Easy, I lift my foot and kick him. Damn hard though considering he's so bloody tall." Kaida laughs and Rina shakes her head. _

"_How are you my best friend?" Rina sighs. _

_Zen slouches into the guild, and Kaida jumps up. "I'll be back. I need to go speak to him. About the tendon." She added the last bit as an almost after thought. Rina rolls her eyes and does nothing. _

_Kaida hurries over to the black haired male. He cocks his eyebrow, smirking._

"_Miss me, little girl?" He taunts. _

"_Not one bit, old man." Kaida grins. Taking a deep breath, she says, "I think we should be on a team together."_

_Shocked. That's the only word to even begin to describe his expression._

_She's blushing, "I don't mean it like that! I just mean, we're both really strong and I think we'd make a lot of jewels working together."_

_Zen gapes at her for a long time. Then he laughs. "Sure little girl, but we'll split the profits 60-40."_

"_60 for me!" Kaida calls as she walks back to Rina._

"_You wish!" _

**Hmm… So many questions, so little time for me not to answer them. Wonder where Zen and Kaida picked up their magic from? Who killed Kaida's daddy? Who was Mavis's supposed friend? How dangerous is Zen really? The biggest question? Do Natsu and Lucy like each other yet?! Lol but I can answer the last one, no, they don't. But I leave those four other questions for you all to think about. Got anymore questions that will probably be answered later in the story? Leave 'em in your review and see you again in the next chapter! **

**~Emerald~ **


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